The Clairvoyant's Champion
by Casa Circe
Summary: "I know you're the psychic, but this time I just have a funny feeling about this year," Yukari said mysteriously, before adding, "I feel like something big is coming, and whatever it is will change everything."


**The Clairvoyant's Champion**

 _Note:_ _This was written as a gift for Escaflowne Secret Santa 2018 for my partner, labeckinator!_

 _She mentioned that she preferred to read something light and happy so that was a refreshing change from my usual stuff. And though she enumerated several characters, I decided to go with Hitomi and Yukari, particularly because I haven't written about the latter before._

 _We don't have much to work with because Yukari doesn't appear in many episodes so this was a challenge in that sense. I also wanted to focus on the friendship between her and Hitomi, with no mention of Amano. Just girls being true friends for each other._

 _Like my other Secret Santa entry, the theme is around the new year and starting a new chapter in life which is fitting for the time this is being posted. This was an interesting exercise and I enjoyed exploring a bit more about this character._

 _Hope you like it!_

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"Hey, Hitomi, I wonder what the next year's going to be like," Yukari remarked a few days before she and her best friend were due to start high school.

The two girls were taking a stroll by the seaside, enjoying the remainder of their vacation before the start of classes, what their other friends referred to as their last day of freedom. But both Yukari and Hitomi were less anxious about what lay ahead. They both looked forward to beginning a new chapter in their lives, with Yukari being very excited while Hitomi was cautiously optimistic.

"You know there's a way for me to find out, right?" Hitomi replied with a knowing smile, motioning to her bag where she always carried a deck of tarot cards.

"But I prefer not to know beforehand, you know that," Yukari said after a laugh, "I think it just adds to the pressure and I'd rather just take my chances with whatever cards fate deals me."

Hitomi nodded, familiar with her friend's tendencies, and highly appreciative of these as well. So many of her friends who knew of her abilities constantly asked her for readings, eager to know what the future would bring them. More often than not there would be questions about their various crushes and whether or not the person they were currently infatuate with was actually their soulmate.

And because Hitomi's psychic abilities were so powerful, she often had accurate visions of her friends' futures. If the visions were favorable, she was only happy to share the news with them. But she always struggled with giving less than pleasant readings, always afraid to disappoint those with such hope in their faces but also aware that should she lie, she might only bring about greater sorrow. It was tricky balancing act and it could be exhausting for one so young.

Fortunately, she had Yukari, who not only refused to ask for a reading for herself but also kept the crowds who asked for Hitomi's help at bay. The latter was always so accommodating that she could never refuse anyone who asked for help. But Yukari was always there to help set boundaries and to tell people off when they were rude to Hitomi.

"My friend has a life to live too!" Yukari would say, "She can't spend all day helping you decide what outfit to wear to impress your crush. You need to figure things out on your own sometimes."

Eventually, people knew better than to badger Hitomi for tarot card readings over mundane things, and she was allowed some relief and freedom to live an ordinary, uncomplicated life. Or as uncomplicated life as a teenager could experience, at any rate.

"But don't you want to satisfy your curiosity, even a little bit?" Hitomi asked her friend.

Yukari pondered on this for a moment. "I won't pretend I've never been tempted," she replied, "And I know you'd give me an honest reading, of course. But I also know that you are too powerful for your own good."

"I wouldn't go that far," Hitomi remarked.

"Don't be modest," Yukari said, "You know you can see a lot in those cards and with that pendant of yours. I'm not only worried about knowing my own future, but the guilt you will feel if you see something unpleasant ahead for me. You've seen sad endings for a lot of people. How can you bear it?"

"It just takes some getting used to," Hitomi said with a sigh.

"Well, I refuse to add to your troubles with any of my own drama," Yukari said firmly.

"I really appreciate that," Hitomi said gratefully.

"That's probably why you always hang out with me," Yukari teased, giving her friend a gentle nudge.

"That's one reason, I guess," Hitomi said with a grin, "That and you're just one of the best people I know."

"Careful, Kanzaki, you're gonna make me blush," Yukari replied, and both girls burst into a fit of laughter.

For the next few hours or so, the conversation strayed to other topics, the uncertainty of the future temporarily forgotten. This was the way it was with the two of them. They got along so well that they could while away the afternoons together just talking and walking around their home town. They had other friends too but for the most part, they preferred each other's company to that of everyone else. They could talk about anything and laugh at the same silly ideas.

Both were grateful to have each other, knowing full well that their friend would never abandon them in trying times. Yukari would give her life to protect Hitomi and she knew that the latter would do the same. In so many instances in their young lives, Yukari and Hitomi supported each other unconditionally. They knew that the bond they shared was unbreakable. No one and nothing would ever come between them.

"I know you're the psychic, but this time I just have a funny feeling about this year," Yukari said mysteriously, before adding, "I feel like something big is coming, and whatever it is will change everything."

"This is a first," Hitomi remarked wryly, "I'm usually the ominous one. But I can't help but agree with you though. I've felt it too, a heightened anticipation and foreboding. I'm both terrified and thrilled, I can't really explain it."

"Maybe this is what it feels to keep growing up," Yukari said pensively, "Like the world is expanding and like life is opening up for you in big ways."

Both girls pondered on this for a moment. The weight of their words hung in the air. So lost were they in their reverie that neither of them noticed that the section of Hitomi's bag where her pendant was kept, had begun to glow.

"Whatever happens, you know I'll always have your back, right?" Yukari said, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder reassuringly.

"That's one of the few things in this crazy universe that I can be completely confident about," Hitomi replied with a grateful smile.


End file.
